Throbbing pain in my gum and small piece of bone sticking up

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pjm929
pjm929 Member Posts: 26
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
When the feeling started coming back, after my tonsil surgery and radical neck dissection, my gums on that side were naturally sore. But for the last week it has actually been throbbing and I finally started putting orajel on it, which helped, but only for a few minutes. When I put my finger back there it felt like it, my gum, was split and there was a tiny piece of bone sticking out! I wear dentures, but I can only wear the top one because I can't tolerate the bottom being in.

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  • phrannie51
    phrannie51 Member Posts: 4,716
    #2
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    Oh OWIE!!
    If you'd just gotten your dentures, I'd think it was shrapnel from the pulling of teeth, and it still might be..a piece of tooth or bone finally working itself out. Can't go to the denist today, but tomorrow, I'd be asking for a quicky appointment, incase he can just grab it and help it the rest of the way.

    p
  • pjm929
    pjm929 Member Posts: 26
    #3
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    phrannie51 said:

    Oh OWIE!!
    If you'd just gotten your dentures, I'd think it was shrapnel from the pulling of teeth, and it still might be..a piece of tooth or bone finally working itself out. Can't go to the denist today, but tomorrow, I'd be asking for a quicky appointment, incase he can just grab it and help it the rest of the way.

    p

    Gotta get some more numbing juice :)
    Well, I just felt back there again and it must, finally, be closing up. I can't feel it now, but it's still very sore. Seems like the throbbing is much worse later in the day or evening, pretty much like a sore throat would be. Maybe it's just going to be the last thing to heal. I still have swelling and numbness in my face and throat. Actually, it's not my face but more the jaw bone, so it's probably going to take longer for that to heal. Like the nurse told me in the hospital, "you don't even want to know the positions they had your body in during this surgery"! And from that remark, no I don't want to know!
  • Ingrid K
    Ingrid K Member Posts: 813
    #4
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    pjm929 said:

    Gotta get some more numbing juice :)
    Well, I just felt back there again and it must, finally, be closing up. I can't feel it now, but it's still very sore. Seems like the throbbing is much worse later in the day or evening, pretty much like a sore throat would be. Maybe it's just going to be the last thing to heal. I still have swelling and numbness in my face and throat. Actually, it's not my face but more the jaw bone, so it's probably going to take longer for that to heal. Like the nurse told me in the hospital, "you don't even want to know the positions they had your body in during this surgery"! And from that remark, no I don't want to know!

    could be leftover from surgery
    PJM, that sounds painful for sure. I agree with Phrannie, it may be leftover "bits" from the dissection. I had the similar happen, but in my case, they also pulled 4 teeth during my surgery. I had one piece of bone work its way out after 8 weeks.

    Do you have pain meds from your dissection ? I would take some to help with this until you can call your dentist tomorrow. the topical ointment will probably not help long term.

    Also, my dentures sometimes rub and cause a sore spot on my gums. My dentist said my gums are still swollen from the surgery (18 months ago) and that will make the dentures shift and consequently rub. I still have some major swelling that I work on daily with massaging exercises.

    Hopefully you can get some relief ASAP.
  • Grandmax4
    Grandmax4 Member Posts: 723
    #5
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    Ingrid K said:

    could be leftover from surgery
    PJM, that sounds painful for sure. I agree with Phrannie, it may be leftover "bits" from the dissection. I had the similar happen, but in my case, they also pulled 4 teeth during my surgery. I had one piece of bone work its way out after 8 weeks.

    Do you have pain meds from your dissection ? I would take some to help with this until you can call your dentist tomorrow. the topical ointment will probably not help long term.

    Also, my dentures sometimes rub and cause a sore spot on my gums. My dentist said my gums are still swollen from the surgery (18 months ago) and that will make the dentures shift and consequently rub. I still have some major swelling that I work on daily with massaging exercises.

    Hopefully you can get some relief ASAP.

    could you
    share some of those massaging exercises? I went to our county fair yesterday to watch my 4 year old Grandson win a blue ribbon in mud_pies ( lol ) I swear the big turkey we saw, I look just like him Lol Happy 4th
  • Ingrid K
    Ingrid K Member Posts: 813
    #6
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    Grandmax4 said:

    could you
    share some of those massaging exercises? I went to our county fair yesterday to watch my 4 year old Grandson win a blue ribbon in mud_pies ( lol ) I swear the big turkey we saw, I look just like him Lol Happy 4th

    superthread
    the massage exercises are on the SuperThread on this site. Have you seen it yet ? It is a compilation of many, many great tips/info, etc. put together with input from other survivors and managed and updated by our own Sweetblood22 (also on here).

    The exercises help especially with lymph node massage. After a neck dissection especially, your missing lymph nodes used to help move fluids thru the body and now the fluids well up where the lymph nodes were (hence the turkey neck and swelling).

    If Skiffin sees this, he may be able to post the link to the Superthread so you can just click on it.

    UPDATE: Gramma, scroll down to the bottom of the first page of topics and go to Page 2. the superthread is there (updated 6/23/12) click on it, but don't leave any comments on it. Only Sweet can do the edits, so she doesn't have to retype it every time. THANKS.
  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #7
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    Ingrid K said:

    superthread
    the massage exercises are on the SuperThread on this site. Have you seen it yet ? It is a compilation of many, many great tips/info, etc. put together with input from other survivors and managed and updated by our own Sweetblood22 (also on here).

    The exercises help especially with lymph node massage. After a neck dissection especially, your missing lymph nodes used to help move fluids thru the body and now the fluids well up where the lymph nodes were (hence the turkey neck and swelling).

    If Skiffin sees this, he may be able to post the link to the Superthread so you can just click on it.

    UPDATE: Gramma, scroll down to the bottom of the first page of topics and go to Page 2. the superthread is there (updated 6/23/12) click on it, but don't leave any comments on it. Only Sweet can do the edits, so she doesn't have to retype it every time. THANKS.

    SuperThread & Neck Massage
    Here you go...;

    SuperThread

    Massage

    JG
  • robinleigh
    robinleigh Member Posts: 297
    #8
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    Another possibility
    My husband, Andy, and a few others here developed a condition called osteoradionecrosis from the radiation. Your dentist may be familiar with this and refer you to an oral surgeon. We have been twice and he clips the bone shard and then files it smooth. Otherwise, Andy's protrudes out and irritates his tongue. Very painful. He gets relief from covering it with orthodontal wax.
    Hope they can relieve your pain quickly!
    Robinleigh
  • Ingrid K
    Ingrid K Member Posts: 813
    #9
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    Skiffin16 said:

    SuperThread & Neck Massage
    Here you go...;

    SuperThread

    Massage

    JG

    thanks, John !

    thanks, John !
  • katenorwood
    katenorwood Member Posts: 1,912
    #10
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    ouch !
    Pjm929,
    I too wear dentures (only 3 mo's) and also have issues with wearing especially bottom plate. Very normal for things to be still healing...dentist call should be done. But I think as my dentist told me....bottoms are hard to get use to. Keep trying as I am, and hopefully for both of us, we will get use to them. I had all mine pulled (24 teeth) an hour before my neck resection. Gluton for punishment....actually wanted my work insurance to pay before new yrs deductable would increase. Good luck, and keep us posted. regards, Katie
  • Mikemetz
    Mikemetz Member Posts: 465 Member
    #11
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    Could be ORN
    You didn't mention if you had rads as part of your treatment, and if so, when they happened. If you had radiation treatments you could be seeing some osteoradionecrosis (ORN--dead bone from radiation), but what I know about ORN from my own experience is that it takes about a year post-rads to develop. If it's acute ORN, the painful sore (ulcer, actually) will go away and that will be the end of it. If it's chronic, you'll get more ulcers over time, and a treatment plan will be needed.

    Not to gross you out, but eventually the exposed bone will deteriorate to the point that you can 'fleck' it out with your fingernail. That's good news, because the pain will subside and healthy new tissue will grow over that spot.

    My advice would be to see an ENT with cancer treatment expertise. They will know if it's ORN and how to proceed.

    Mike
  • jim and i
    jim and i Member Posts: 1,788 Member
    #12
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    pjm929 said:

    Gotta get some more numbing juice :)
    Well, I just felt back there again and it must, finally, be closing up. I can't feel it now, but it's still very sore. Seems like the throbbing is much worse later in the day or evening, pretty much like a sore throat would be. Maybe it's just going to be the last thing to heal. I still have swelling and numbness in my face and throat. Actually, it's not my face but more the jaw bone, so it's probably going to take longer for that to heal. Like the nurse told me in the hospital, "you don't even want to know the positions they had your body in during this surgery"! And from that remark, no I don't want to know!

    Could also be swelling from
    Could also be swelling from an infection that closed up that gap in your gum. I would get it checked asap. My husband had a small painful knot in his jaw during treatment. Even the doctor said it was normal from rads. That was on Friday, by Sunday evening it was the size of a baseball. When he went for RADS the next day they could not get the mask on. They immediately admitted him. He had a bad infection which took a week of IV antibiotics to fix. He was in so much pain and the infectious disease doctor said he was lucky it had not absessed because that may have killed him with his immune being down. He also had to have a blood transfusion. This is nothing to mess with so get in to see someone asap or go to emergency.

    Praying it is minor.

    Debbie

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